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| Industry | Textile design |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder | Poul Byriel Erling Rasmussen |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Anders Byriel, CEO |
| Products | textiles and textile-related products |
| Website | www |
Kvadrat is a Danish textile company that produces and supplies textiles and textile-related products to architects, designers and private consumers in Europe and worldwide. Kvadrat was established inDenmark in 1968 with deep roots inScandinavia's design tradition.
The company Kvadrat was founded by Poul Byriel and Erling Rasmussen in 1968 inEbeltoft, Denmark. They worked closely with designers such asNanna Ditzel,Finn Sködt,[1]Nina Koppel[2] andGunnar Aagaard Andersen and created a portfolio of furniture textiles.[3]
Kvadrat's close collaboration with designers resulted in the creation of classic textiles such as Nanna Ditzel's Hallingdal that has kept a strong presence in private homes, hospitals, airports and trains, most prominently on the Danish National Railways (DSB). National critical recognition of Kvadrat's contribution to design came in 1986 whenDanish Museum of Art and Design staged the exhibitionKvadrat Textiles through 20 Years.[4]
In the early 1980s Kvadrat joined the international design scene when they started to work with Italian-based American designer Ross Littell. The company resisted international trends and kept its distinctiveScandinavian style. Kvadrat textiles were used as the bearer of national political symbolism when British architectsFoster and Partners were commissioned to design the interior of theDebating Chamber of the Bundestag in the Reichstag, where cobalt blueTopas textile was used "to represent a strong image of Parliament".[citation needed]
The direction of Kvadrat passed to the next generation in the 1990s, when Poul Byriel's son Anders Byriel took over as the CEO along with Erling Rasmussen's daughter Mette Bendix as the product director.[5]
In 2011, Kvadrat bought a 49% share of Wooltex in the UK.[6] In March 2017, Kvadrat announced the purchase of 52% of the Danish sustainable materials company Really.[7]
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Kvadrat (which meansthe square in Danish) is a producer and supplier of textiles and textile-related products for architects, designers and private consumers in Europe and worldwide.[5]
Kvadrat also develops acoustic panels made of acoustic-absorbing textiles to eliminate the echo in large buildings and open spaces.[8] Its brand Really specializes inupcycling end-of-life textiles into solid textile boards for reuse.[9]
Kvadrat hascollaborations with external designers and artists. Throughout the years Kvadrat has worked with designers, architects and artists includingRaf Simons,[10]Alfredo Häberli,Peter Saville,Olafur Eliasson,Akira Minagawa,Hella Jongerius,Tord Boontje, Miriam Bäckström andWerner Aisslinger.[11] In June 2017, Kvadrat released 3 models of theAdidas Stan Smith in a partnership with the sports brand.[12]
Kvadrat's design collaborations have resulted in products and projects such as B&O PLAY speakers andVifa loudspeakers.
Kvadrat textiles have been used in architectural developments such asThe Gherkin in London,Museum of Modern Art in New York, theWalt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles,The Reichstag Berlin,Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, theCopenhagen Opera House in Denmark,Foster & Partners studio in London,Yves St. Laurent in Paris and theOslo Opera House in Norway.[13]
Kvadrat has actively engaged in projects with artists, museums, galleries and designers. Such projects include:[14]
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